The Borderland Chronicles: The Hyperion Contract
by Bulletmagnetdd
Summary: Hyperion Assassin, Agent 71, has been given the biggest assignment of his career. He is charged with going to Pandora and tracking down Handsome Jack's killer. Agent 71 will have to contend with bandit scum, psychos, clan wars, scags and more to find the "Jack-Killer". Will he succeed? Or will he become someone's shiny new meat bicycle?
1. Chapter 1

Inside the corridor of the Hyperion Moon Base, a rhythmic click echoed. A pair of silver stiletto heels carries a woman in white toward the conference room. The sterile white lights that illuminate the corridor give her business suit an almost ethereal glow. The woman reaches a door at the end of the corridor. A black nameplate is mounted to the right of the steel door. The sign reads "Conference Room 212" in bold white letters. The woman turns the handle and enters the room.  
The woman's gaze falls upon a man at the far end of an oval metal table. Flanking the man on either side is a pair of burly Hyperion security guards. The thin man appears as frail as piece of scored glass. The woman moves toward the chair at her side of the table. Her elegant stride makes her appear to glide across the grey metal floor. The clicking of her stiletto heels is the only evidence to the contrary. As she sits down, she blew some loose strands of her silvery hair from her right eye. She stare a moment at the man with her pale blue grey eyes. Then her mouth curled in a half smile. The small diamond piercing above her lip glimmered in the rooms light.

"Bodyguards? Mr. Thompson, you merely the Vice President of Hyperion Corporation. I wouldn't waste my time killing a nobody like you." The woman said. Her mouth curls into a half smile. The small diamond piercing above her lip glimmers in the room's light.

Mr. Thompson's eyes narrowed. "So why is a representative of the Jacob's Corporation here to see me?"

"I am here to negotiate the sale of Hyperion Corporation to Jacobs." The woman said as she folds her hands atop her crossed legs.

Mr. Thompson tilts his head slightly and taps his pen on the tabletop. "The Jacobs Corporation deals in a limited selection of firearms and munitions. What interest would Hyperion be to you?

"Unlike my predecessors, I understand the value of expansion. Jacobs Corporation is under new management. Mine. The acquisition of Hyperion will be the beginning of my Legacy." 

Mr. Thompson looked over the rim of his glasses. "You're predecessors?"

The woman placed the fingers of her left hand across her lips to stifle her laugh. "Oh Mr. Thompson, did you believe I was a secretary or something. My dear man, you are addressing the President of the Jacobs Corporation."

"Well Ms. President, I regret to inform you, Hyperion is not for sale." Mr. Thompson said as he placed the pen down onto the table and folded his hands.

The President of Jacobs Corp. cleared her throat. "Let me blunt, Mr. Thompson. Hyperion Corporation's profit margin has plummeted since the death of your CEO, Handsome Jack. It makes no difference if you sell it to me now or in a year's time. Sooner or later Hyperion will be mine, now or after bankruptcy. The only difference will be whether you have a job or not."

"Then perhaps a little Quid Pro Quo is in order Ms. President."

"How so Mr. Thompson?"

"Find us the 'Jack-Slayer' on Pandora and bring that piece of garbage to justice and I'll discuss a merger with the Jacobs Corporation."

"My word, is that all?"

Mr. Thompson ignored the sarcastic tone in her voice and continued. "We'd also like you to use one of ours in this task, Agent 71."

The Jacobs President raised her eyebrow. "Why not simply send this Agent 71 yourself?"

"Think of this as a gesture of diplomacy for the Jacobs Corporation." Thompson said with a smirk.

The woman laughed. "Sounds more like you're too broke to pay for the agent's servicing fees to me."

"Do you agree to the arrangement or not?" Thompson said his voice given away his clear irritation.

"Very well" She replied with a sigh.

Agent 71 was seated at the piloting station of his small spacecraft. His feet rested atop the control panel. He flipped through the pages of _Mr. Torgue's Catalogue of Carnage. _A beep rang out from a board on the pilot's console. His green eyes peered over the top of the magazine. A red light flashed on the pilot's board just right of the main throttle. He was receiving an ECHO Transmission.

"Finally, another payday is on the way."

He swept his feet off the console. Dropping the magazine on the floor, Agent 71 opened the transmission. The person that appeared on the screen was not one he expected. Agent 71 was staring at a silver haired woman in a white business suit on the ECHO screen.

"Who are you? How did you get this secure frequency?"

_**Relax Agent 71. My name is Kali. I'm here at the behest of the Hyperion Corporation.**_

"Then why am I talking to you and not them?"

_**Quite frankly, it's because I am the one footing the bill for their contract.**_

He simply stared into her blue grey eyes. The air around his lips became stale from the length of his silence.

The woman allowed the silence to linger a bit more then smiled in the screen.

_**I am sending you the Hyperion Authorization Code to prove the validity of my statement.**_

A bunch of numbers flashed along the bottom of the ECHO screen. His ECHO highlighted the numbers in green. His ECHO transceiver had verified that code was legitimate.

"So, what's the job?" Agent 71 said as he rubbed the beard stubble on the bottom of his chin.

_**Simple. Go to Pandora. Find whoever killed Handsome Jack and bring the murderer to justice.**_

"Dead or Alive?"

_**That is entirely at your discretion, as far as I'm concerned. However, Hyperion has offered to pay triple your fee if the murderer is brought back alive. It seems they'd like the pleasure of killing the 'Jack-slayer' themselves.**_

"I'll take the job. I'll contact you when I reach Pandora."

_**I look forward to hearing from you Agent 71.**_

The screen went off. Agent 71 stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes fixated on the scar that ran from his temple, down past his eye to rest at his cheek bone. Agent 71 began typing into his navigational computer. He plotted a course for Pandora and then set the system on automatic pilot. He walked out of the cockpit into the cargo area.

A small cot was setup against the left wall. He crawled onto the cot and stared at the ceiling running lights. This job didn't feel right to him. It was more than the fact that this Kali woman was running the show. His gut was telling him that he'd regret taking this job.

_At least I won't be bored anymore._ He thought to himself before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Agent 71 was awakened from his sleep by an electronic shriek that resonated in his ear drums.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?'

Agent 71 leapt off of the cot and dashed into the cockpit. The wailing noise assailing his ears was coming from the proximity alarm. Agent 71 could see pulsing flashes reflected in the cockpit window as he entered. Approaching the piloting station, he looked through the forward window. He had reached Pandora. Hovering to the left in orbit over the planet was the Hyperion Moon Base. The base was firing down at the planet with a pulse cannon. Agent 71's ship was directly into the path of the pulse shots!

Agent 71 jumped into the pilot's chair. He flipped the autopilot off and grabbed the control stick. The control was unresponsive. His eye saw that there was an error light on the autopilot controls. Agent 71 hit the autopilot switch again. The autopilot still did not disengage. Agent 71 could see he was less than a 5 kilometers from being vaporized by one of the pulses.

"Come on you piece of garbage! Work!" Agent 71 scouted and kicked the console hard with his boot!

The red error switch blinked off. He now had control of the ship! Agent 71 looked out the cockpit and saw he was about to plow into the next pulse shot! He backed the throttle hard to the lower left and thrust the throttle level to full power. There was a metal tearing boom! The lights in the ship flickered and warning alarms rang out throughout the ship. The pulse had just glanced the ship. However, it had done so with enough force that the ship was spiraling out of control toward Pandora.

Agent 71 wrestled the control stick. The stick bucked and jerked in his grasp as he fought for control. His eyes resisted the urge of vertigo as the view from the window spun like a top. Agent 71 could see the outer plating begin to glow red. He had entered Pandora's atmosphere! If he didn't get this fixed quick, he was going to land with the grace of a meteor! The altitude continued to decrease with great speed. The digital numbers displaying his descent moved so fast they were almost illegible.

Agent 71 alternated the maneuvering thrusters and the spinning subsided. His descent was still at terminal velocity. He pulled the control stick back hard; trying to level his angle of descent. The ship bounced about as if he was trying to ride a wild horse! Agent 71 could see the surface of Pandora approaching as the nose of the ship began to rise. The nose of the ship had just missed a rock mesa. He let out a breath of relief.

"That was too close." The relief was short-lived.

The ship resounded with a loud thud and Agent 71 was thrown clear from his seat. He tumbled out of the cockpit and slammed his head against the back of the cargo bay wall.

Speckles of light began to pierce holes into the darkness of his vision. The holes of light filled the blackness of his sight with a white blur. When Agent 71's vision cleared, he could see the shambles that was once been his cargo bay. There was a large gap in the left side of the hull. Sand blew onto the deck from somewhere outside. Agent 71 hoisted himself back to his feet with a beam of support frame. He walked to the large metal tear on the side of his ship and peered out the opening.

The sun burned at his eyes. He place his right hand at his forehead to shield his eyes from the rays, Agent 71 saw dunes of sand as far as he could see. He returned to the interior of his cargo bay. He moved aside his tipped over cot and pulled his footlocker to the center of the room.

Agent 71 opened his locker. He removed his casual gear and began outfitting his work clothes. Agent 71 slipped on his black thermal body suit and black face hood. There was a white letter "H" on the temple of the hood. Next he placed the black chest plate and shoulder pads with gold trim over his head. Next were two thick gauntlets. The left had an ECHO communicator and small octagonal device attached to it. The right had a two inch thick metal plate with an opening near the wrist. Lastly, he slipped the protective goggles over his green eyes.

Agent 71 walked over to his gun locker and retrieved his weapons, a pair of silenced pistols and a sniper rifle. He slid the guns into their leg holsters and slung the rifle across his back. Agent 71 went to the back of the cargo bay. He then opened a large container and removed his ATM-202 (All Terrain Motorcycle) from storage. His fist hit the Back Bay release hatch, the Back Bay wall fell and became a ramp. Agent 71 wheeled the ATM-202 out of the ship.

He looked back at the heap of scrap metal that was once his ship.

"This is going on Hyperion's bill."

Agent 71 pushed a locator beacon on the ECHO. A small blip appeared and a distance readout.

"Looks like the nearest Fast Travel Station in South East from here. I best be going. I've got a Jack-slayer to find and a reward to collect."

Agent 71 hopped onto his ATM-202 and gunned the throttle.


	3. Chapter 3

Agent 71 rode across the desert sand on his ATM-202. As he got closer to the coordinates, islands of rock formations began to spawn on the horizon. The signal led him to a large rock formation 10 meters high and 100 meters wide. In front of the rock formation was a small platform. The platform had two panels. One panel was fixed next to a pair of tracks to materialize vehicles. That was the "Catch-a Ride" vehicle station. The larger console was his target. This was the Fast Travel Station, a teleportation device that transports people anywhere another station is linked up to.

Agent 71 dismounted the ATM-202 and walked over to the station. He approached the Fast Travel Station. He connected his ECHO device into a linkup connector. Only one destination popped onto screen, Moon Base Station. He shook his head.

"I should have expected this. With Jack dead, the Hyperion Fast Travel Stations have been taken off the network. That means I'll have to reactivate each station I find back onto the network, simply marvelous."

Something burst out from the sand and knocked the ATM-202 over. From the bottom of the sand a 6 foot tall purple Thresher worm emerged. The head split open and purple vapor reeked off the worm's skin. The maw of the creature formed from the fleshy pedals. A vibrating roar bellowed out at him. Two tentacles whip from the sand and tried to latch onto him. Agent 71 dove away from their grasp. He tumbled next to the tipped bike.

Grabbing the handle bars, he hopped onto the bike and gunned the throttle. Sand kicked up from the tires. The ATM -202 jolted forward a few feet then stopped dead in it's tracks. His ears could hear a faint high pitch vibrating sound. He saw the tires still spinning but the bike was moving backwards! Agent 71's head looked over his shoulder.

The worm's mouth was open and a spiraling purple light emanated from the center. His ATM-202 was being drawn toward the light. When the bike was within range, the thresher worm latched a tentacle to the bike. The Thresher yanked the bike off the ground and threw it against the rocks. Agent 71 was thrown off the bike while it was mid air. He landed near the Thresher. A tentacle grabbed an ankle.

Agent 71 drew his pistols and began firing at the tentacle. He could hear that vibrating noise even louder now, even though the creature's mouth was no longer producing the light. From over the rocky ridge gunfire rained from the air and hit the worm. A bandit flying a buzzard had just spotted the thresher and decided for a little target practice.

The Thresher retreated back into the sand. The buzzard banked around and aimed for Agent 71. Agent 71 hit the small device on his arm. He vanished from view as the stealth system engaged. The buzzard fired blindly at the spot Agent 71 last occupied. The Thresher reemerged from the sand and swatted at the buzzard. The buzzards banked hard and launched a rocket from the bottom of copter. The rocket entered the Thresher's maw and exploded, killing it.

"Hey, where'd ya go!" The bandit shouted from the buzzard as he searched for Agent 71.

A blue flash appeared within the jagged recesses of the rocks. Agent 71 materialized staring down the sight of his sniper rifle. Agent 71 pulled the trigger. The shot streaked through the air and connected with the buzzard's fuel tank. The tank burst into flames and exploded. The buzzard spiraled out of control and crashed into the sand in a fireball.

"Ludicrous Gibs!" Agent 71 shouted in triumph.

Agent 71 crawled from the rocks and looked at his bike. The ATM-202 was a total loss. Agent 71 went over to the "Catch a Ride". He requested the spawning of a new vehicle.

_**Unauthorized User Detected. **_The automated voice said, sounding a bit like a red necked grease monkey.

_**You trying to hack my "Catch –A- Ride"? Un-cool man. Un-cool. **_

Agent 71 walked thirty feet from the station. He turned around. He pulled the rifle from his back. Agent 71 aimed and pulled the trigger, sending the "Catch-A-Ride" station into flames.

Agent 71 smiled under his mask. "No my friend, that was un-cool! But so fun!"

Agent 71 slung the rifle onto his back once more. He began to follow the rock wall eastward. After 3 miles, he could see off to his right a large scrap yard. Above the yard was a sign of a tire with a big letter "E".

_With any luck I might be able to barter a new vehicle from here._

Agent 71 walked into the open gate of the yard. There was a garage lying straight ahead from the gate. To the right of the garage, there was a scrap metal compactor. On the side of the compactor were streams of rust. Was it rust? It looked more like blood to Agent 71.

From inside the garage, the largest woman he'd ever laid eyes on waddled out the door to greet him.

"Howdy! Welcome to Elle's, you handsome son of a B!"


	4. Chapter 4

Ellie looked at Agent 71 as he approached. His attire was definitely not native to Pandora. "You don't look like any bandit that I've ever seen. Are you some kind of a Vault Hunter?"

"I guess you could say that. I'm definitely out here searching Pandora."

"Whatcha doing walking around in the Dust?" Ellie said placing her hands around her huge hips.

Agent 71 continued to move toward Ellie. He kept his body language non-threatening. "Had a little disagreement with a bandit and a Thresher. My bike paid the price."

"Yeah, there's a lot of bandits around these parts. You won't get too far trekking the Dust on foot."

Agent 71 nodded in agreement. "I was hoping you'd might be able to help with that."

"Ummhmm, that's what I thought. Got any money darlin'?"

Agent 71 shook his head. His hands glided over his suit to indicate no pockets to stash cash. "Nope, but maybe we can come up with another arrangement."

Ellie raised her eyebrows. "Damn boy! Get your foot off the gas pedal! I got to know you a teensy bit before you get at Ellie's tasty bits."

"Whoa!" Agent 71 said, throwing his hands out to keep Ellie at bay. "That's not what I meant!"

Ellie laughed and waved him off. "Oh relax, I was just messing with you. I have an old Runner in my shop you could use but there's a problem."

"What problem?"

Her hand gestured to the Runner on the fork lift of her garage. "It ain't running worth a crap."

"Yes. That would be a problem."

"I could get it up and running if you would help a girl out."

"What do you need Ellie?"

"My brother, Scooter, is hold up in Sanctuary. He sends me parts and equipment to help me on my little projects. My last delivery got hijacked by the Hodunk Clan. The parts for the Runner were part of that shipment. If you would be so kind as to get my stuff back, I'll fix up that runner and give it to you.

Agent 71 had little options but to accept her proposition. "Where are these thieving Hodunks?"

"Not too far. There only a few miles West of here."

"If I get your delivery, then I get the Runner. Deal?" Agent 71 said recapping the arrangement.

"Ummmhmm."

"Then I'd better get a move on. I'm already behind schedule."

Ellie handed Agent 71 Scooter's shipping Invoice. "Hurry back now. I can't wait to toss you that ride when you get back - and the Runner too!"

Agent 71 couldn't stifle the shiver that ran up his back as he headed back toward the scrap yard gate.

Night had begun to fall in the Dust. This made the trek toward the Hodunks a bit easier for him. Agent 71 could see the running lights of the bandit "Technical" truck patrols. When patrols got too close, he would use his stealth cloak to avoid them. The cloak had a small regenerating power source. This meant he could only use the cloak in ten second intervals. Otherwise, he would have kept it on until he returned to Ellie's Scrap Yard. Soon, he had reached the Hodunks base. There was a huge metal door built over a gap in the rock face. The natural rock wall made for a solid defense against invading wildlife and bandits.

Agent 71 walked Eastward along the natural rock wall. After several meters, he found an area of the wall with ample hand holds. His fingers dug into the rock and Agent 71 began to make his ascent up the wall. After several minutes he reached the top of the wall. The top ledge of the wall was 5 meters wide, which made it perfect for scouting. Agent 71 crawled a top the wall ledge. He kept his body close to the ground to prevent his silhouette from showing in the moonlight. As he reached the edge of the ledge, he looked down into the Hodunk encampment.

Below him was a trailer park. The trailers were haphazardly scattered across the main area. Beyond the encampment was a race track that circled around some rock formations within the compound. There was a small garage and fueling station near the rock wall, several meters to the right of his position. That was most likely where the parts would be stored. He climbed down the mountain. There did not appear to be any patrolling Hodunks. Apparently, none of them considered someone like Agent 71 being able to scale their defenses. Agent 71 stayed in the shadows nonetheless. He saw no reason to highlight his presence.

Agent 71 approached the garage from the side. He peered into a garage window. The garage looked empty. Agent 71 tried the window. It was locked. He could see the lock just on the other side of the window sill. He clenched his right fist, depressing a switch inside his glove. A large 9 inch blade sprung from the gauntlet. He slide the blade beneath sill. Agent 71 maneuvered the blade's tip to unlatch the window. He slid open the window and crawled inside.

From the shadows of one of the trailers, a crippled man in a wheelchair rolled into view. Watching Agent 71 enter the garage, he muttered something unintelligible. Then the man picked up a banjo that rested on his lap and began to play. A larger Hodunk moved in behind him. "Don't worry Pa. I'll handle this." the man said staring at the garage.


	5. Chapter 5

Agent 71 switched the night vision on his goggles. The room was illuminated with a green hue. There were two Technical trucks on the maintenance ramps. One was elevated on a lift. The other was covered in a tarp. There were several boxes lying about the garage. In the corner opposite of the window he had come through, there were several boxes that did not have dust covering them. Agent 71 looked at Scooter's invoice and matched the numbers on it to one of the boxes. He had to figure out a way to get these parts out of here without being detected. As he pondered his dilemma, the blue screen of his ECHO lit up. A woman in silver popped up on his screen.

Agent 71, Why have you failed to report in?

"Jeez woman!" Agent 71 said with a shouted whisper. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

I was concerned by your failure to meet your scheduled status report upon arriving to Pandora.

"Excuse me if I'm not meeting your prescribed deadlines. Being shot out of orbit by a Hyperion Moon cannon tends to make me a little tardy on keeping my appointments. So unless you have any leads for me, let me do my bloody job!" Agent 71 disconnected the ECHO transmission.

Agent 71 caught a glimpse of something in his peripheral vision. He was able to see enough of the punch, that he rolled with the impact. Although he did not catch the blow flush in the jaw, it still sent him reeling. Agent 71 used a tool counter to support himself. In his green vision, there stood a man-mountain sized Hodunk. Attached to his back was a leather basket.

Agent 71 engaged the stealth cloak to get behind the Hodunk. The Hodunk grabbed the tarp off the truck and threw it in Agent 71's direction. The tarp wrapped about Agent 71 like an octopus, revealing his position. Agent 71 extended his wrist blade and tore a hole in the tarp. He stepped through the tear and the Hodunk slammed his fist into Agent 71's chest. The Hodunk's bare knuckles collided with the armor chest plate. The Hodunk grasped his hand and cussed.

Agent 71 pulled out his guns and fired. The Hodunk dove into the back of the truck and fired the large saw blade launcher. Agent 71 dropped to a prone position. The large blade nearly scalped him before lodging itself into the wall. The force of his rushed prone drop caused him to lose grip on his guns. They slid beneath the truck.

Agent 71 got to his feet and stuck his foot into an empty paint can on the floor. He flicked his leg and sent the can toward the Hodunk's face. The Hodunk leaned to his side to dodge the can. With the Hodunk's attention diverted, Agent 71 rolled forward and slashed at the closet leg of the Hodunk. The Hodunk howled and fell to one knee. Agent 71 reached under the truck. His hand had just grabbed one of his gun grips. He stood up and went to shoot the gun when the lights in the room came on.

His googles were not prepared by the sudden flare of light. Agent 71 shielded his eyes. That's when he felt the Hodunk's hand wrapped around his throat. He tried to aim his gun forward. The Hodunk grabbed the gun arm and raised it in the air before Agent 71 could aim.

Agent 71 felt the hand squeezing tighter around his throat. The Hodunk was too strong. There was no way he could force the gun down and shoot him. His eyes cast upward. He timed the swaying of his struggling arm and fired upward, The bullet hit the chain holding a work light. The light swung downward, breaking the bulb on the Hodunk's head. The light's ballast shorted out and the voltage flowed through the Hodunk. The Hodunk's body shook as the voltage passed through him. The Hodunk collapsed on the floor.

Agent 71 massaged his throat and coughed as his windpipe finally had unrestricted air. He walked over to the Hodunk and removed the harness. He brought it over to Scooter's shipment. There was just enough room in the harness for the supplies and his rifle. Slipping on the harness he became aware of two complications. The first was the weight of the supplies made climbing back up the wall impossible. Second, the supplies would not fit out the window, which meant he had to raise the garage door. Agent 71 slowly pulled the chain for the door. He tried to make as little noise as possible as he raised it.

Well, It's still dead of night with no wandering patrols. I might be able to get to the main gate unnoticed.

As the door finally reached the top, his eyes were greeted with a dozen Hodunks aiming guns his way.

Or not...

He turned into the doorway of the garage just as the bullets started flying his way. Looking inside the garage he saw the other technical on the lift. He aimed his pistol at the hydraulics. The shot connected and the truck's lift slowly descended.

Agent 71 dove under the first truck. At first, he thought he had miscalculated the clearance needed from the harness. He felt the harness snag on the undercarriage of the truck. Agent 71 wriggled around until it slipped free. He retrieved his remaining pistol and crawled out the far side of the truck. He then braced himself before sprinting for the other truck. He shot out of the garage door entrance with his pistols as he jumped onto the hood, over the truck's cab and into the truck bed. Agent 71 quickly holstered his guns and grabbed the Saw Blade Turret. He pulled the trigger and the blade shot out of the garage. The blade from the truck and sliced through some of the Hodunks while others scrambled for cover.

Agent 71 took the opportunity to to dash out the garage door and headed for the gate. As he headed for the gate, a rocket launched his way from the ridge across from the gate. He dropped prone and looked behind him once he realized the shot was too high to hit him. Agent 71 saw the rocket hit the area of the garage where the Hodunks were gathered. He focused back at the lone figure holding the rocket launcher. The man fired a second rocket at the gate. The gate blew open and several bandit trucks poured into the camp. The lone man raised his arms in triumph and yelled. "Hey-o!"

Agent 71 didn't stay to ask questions. He used the ensuing chaos to head out into the Dust. Before long his tired legs made their way into Ellie's Scrap Yard. Ellie stood by the doorway of her garage.

"Wow, you're back already? You got the parts?"

Agent 71 gestured to the parts on his back. "it's all here."

"Awesome. I thought for sure you were a goner after I heard the explosions coming from the Hodunk camp."

Agent 71 reached Ellie. He slipped the harness off his shoulders and rested it next to Ellie's feet. "That wasn't me. Just some crazy bandit with a rocket launcher shouting and blowing stuff up."

"What'd he shout?"

"Hey-o." Agent 71 said.

"That ain't no bandit." Ellie corrected him. "That's Steve. He's last surviving member of the Zafford Clan from when the Zaffords and Hodunks feuded."

"Looks like your buddy Steve is aligned with the bandits now."

"Doesn't surprise me any. He'll shack up with anyone who'll help him get revenge on the Hodunk Clan. Well, I'd best get started on your new Runner." Ellie took the supplies from his harness and went into the garage.

His ECHO lit up. Once again, Kali came onto the screen. " Thought I told you that unless you had a lead, leave me the hell alone!

I heard you just fine Agent 71. I have some information that will help you. Are you ready to listen?

"Yeah I'm ready."

And do you have transportation yet?

"I'll have an operational Runner shortly."

Splendid! Here's what I have uncovered.


	6. Chapter 6

_**I have information from a reliable source that Sanctuary is in desperate need of a new power cell. They are sending the "Hero of Pandora" to retrieve a new cell.**_

"What's the location?" Agent 71 said.

_**The delivery is at the train station in Lynchwood.**_

"I'll be waiting." Agent 71 said with a nod before turning off his ECHO.

Kali switched off her ECHO communicator and looked across the Hyperion Conference table. Mr. Thompson sat in his usual spot far across from her. Once again, he had his bodyguards flanking his seat.

"So that is why you told me to constantly attack Sanctuary?" Thompson said as he clasped his hands together and rested his chin upon them.

"Precisely Mr. Thompson. By your increased attacks on Sanctuary, I knew their power core would burn up much faster. Then, I had my insider slip the Intel discretely to the Crimson Raiders HQ. My source confirmed they've taken the bait."

"And then the Jack-slayer will be ambushed by Agent 71. Excellent!" Thompson smiled.

"Indeed. The Jack-slayer is walking right into an ambush" Kali's lips curled into a smile. "as well as Agent 71,"

"What?!" Thompson said slamming his hands against the table.

"Did you really think I was going to pay for your hitman, Agent 71, when I can easily take care of this myself?

"Dammit Kali! We had a deal." Thompson sputtered. Spit flew out of his mouth. Kali wrinkled her nose at the sight.

"It's been amended" was Kali's answer.

"That's it! The negotiations off!"

"That is disappointing to hear Mr. Thompson. I guess I should be going. Before I go, let me show you something."

Kali reached down to her side and brought a black case unto the table. She clicked open the locks of the case and placed a pistol on the table. The pistol had an infinity symbol etched in the oblong barrel.

"This was a gift from Vladof Corporations' lead weapon's designer. This prototype is why people like me will move up in this Universe while people like you enter oblivion."

"Is that so Kali?"

"Yes it is Mr. Thompson. Do you know what the best part of this gift is?"

"No. Tell me."

"I never have to reload!" Kali snatched the gun back off the table. She squeezed the trigger. The oblong barrel of the gun rotated and a hail of bullets blazed forward. The bullets struck the body guards first. Thomson leapt from his chair. He darted toward a door at the back of the room. With a hearty laugh. Kali aimed the Infinity gun at Thompson and mowed him down with another spray of bullets.

"Well Mr. Thompson," Kali said placing the gun back on the table. A trail of smoke still aired out the barrel. "I'd say this has been our most productive meeting yet."

Ellie had informed Agent 71 of the train station in the Dust that could take him into Lynchwood. He followed Ellie's direction and arrived without incident. Taking the train into Lynchwood, he wasn't sure what to expect. What he certainly did not expect was to walk into the middle of a ghost town. Agent 71 expected their to be someone here. But there was no one. No Hyperion employees. No Bandits. Nothing. The place was desolate and quiet.

It was the quiet that bothered him the most. It gave him an uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

He looked back toward the train station building he just came from. Above the entrance that led into town was an old sign display. Agent 71 made his way back into the station and worked his way up into the area of the broken sign. This was a good place to hide. He could see the main area of town while still concealing his presence. The shipment train was on a separate track. However, the only way to reach that track was to go through town and walk along a catwalk. His hiding spot had a direct line of sight with the catwalk. He heard the next train coming in from below him. He waited for the Jack-Slayer's arrival.

Agent 71 looked through the sniper scope to view the Jack-Slayer. A young woman with blue hair and tattoos on her arm came into view, a Siren. Seconds later, a psycho came into view. The siren was aware he was behind her because Agent 71 saw her turn and look at him. Still, she did nothing and continued to walk toward the catwalk.

The psycho was odd as well. Despite the fact he did not attack the Siren, he was at least 6 foot 8 inches and full of muscle. Even his mask was odd. It only had one eye hole and some sort of respirator over his mouth. Suddenly Agent 71's mouth dropped as a young girl in pigtails came into view. Next to her hovered a giant robot with claws.

"Gee?" He looked up from the scope then back to it. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here Gaige?"

Then a disturbing thought hit him. There wasn't one Jack-Slayer. There was three! Gaige was one of them! He took his eyes off the scope once more to ponder his next move. It was then that his eye caught a glimmer of light from another rooftop between him and the Vault Hunters. He'd recognized the type of glint before. It was from the reflection off another sniper scope!

Agent 71 aimed at the glint and fired instinctively. The refection meant the sniper was aiming at him. A thunderclap echoed through the desolate town as his round sailed through the air. Agent 71 could see a silhouette fall from the rooftop and onto the ground. The Vault Hunters had just reached the catwalk when Agent 71 fired. Seeing the dead sniper, the vault hunters scurried to find defensive positions. Just as the Vault Hunters found cover, bandits came out from inside the buildings.

Agent 71 observed the firefight for a few moments. There was something peculiar about these bandits. Their movements and tactics were too precise. The did not act like former convicts but like trained military. "Time to join the party." Agent 71 said and activated his cloak.

Maya took cover behind a stack of crates. She pulled out her Maliwan incendiary sub machine gun and fired at a group of bandits that dodged her shots. One larger bandit came from behind a building near the other bandits. In his arms, he brandished a a huge Gatling gun. The barrel spun and began laying suppressing fire at her position. Soon the group of bandits she fired upon had joined him.

Kreig saw Maya was in trouble.

"The plucking of the dove is forbidden in the mind's of the rib crackers!" Krieg shouted and threw his buzz axe at the bandits.

The saw blade struck the Gatling bandit in the skull, felling him. The other bandits continued firing. Krieg heard several growls behind him. Krieg turned his head. There was an elder skag on a rock behind him. The skag's head split down the center and the jaws splayed open. With a roar, the skag leapt onto Krieg. It was soon joined by three others that bit at Krieg's arms and legs.

Gaige and her robot Deathtrap were handling most of the bandits that came out of the buildings. That is until one appeared from a shack on the opposite side of the catwalk. He crouched low and crept across the catwalk out of view. Then he stood up and the bandit threw a grenade towards Gaige. Deathtrap slammed into her, knocking her from the radius of the blast.

The grenade exploded but a small black box rose from the fireball. The box broke into six pieces and exploded as the made contact with deathtrap. Deathtrap collapsed to the ground, his singular red eye flashing. The bandit then hit Gaige with his electric Maliwan pistol. The first electric bullet disabled her shields while the next two stunned her. Gaige fell to the ground, her arm reaching out for her injured Deathtrap. Gaige turned her head toward the bandit who was aiming his gun at her.

Gaige thought she saw a blue glimmer behind him.

"Say good bye Jack-Slayer!" The bandit said.

_PHFFT! PHFFT!_

The bandit fell and Agent 71 was standing there with both of his silenced guns pointing where the bandit once stood.

"Good bye." Agent 71 said.

He holstered his guns and grabbed the bandit's Maliwan gun and a grenade off his bandolier. Agent 71 threw the grenade at the bandits that had the Siren pinned down. The grenade exploded the same way as the one that took down Deathtrap. Only there wasn't much left to identify their remains. He then began firing at the skags that had begun to overwhelm the psycho.

When the dust settled, only Agent 71 and the Vault hunters were left standing. Agent 71 took a moment to examine the Maliwan pistol more closely. The large caliber automatic had designs that glowed blue. The gun even appeared to have a name. The side of the gun read _"Little Evie"._

Maya the Siren and Krieg the Psycho helped the dazed Gaige back to her feet. She immediately checked on Deathtrap. When she was satisfied he was going to be okay, she turned to Agent 71. "I'd say thanks, but first I'd like to know who the hell you are." Gaige said.

"What's the matter Gee?" Agent 71 said as he pulled off his mask. "Not even a hug for your big brother?"

"Darius?!"

"Yeah, It's me Gee. Unless you got another brother dad didn't tell me about."

"What are you doing here?

"I'm on a job." He said as he moved closer to Gaige.

"What job is that? " Maya asked.

"You. Or to be more precise, the three of you. I was hired to bring the 'Jack-Slayers' to justice - Dead or Alive."

"The daisies in the desert sun reek of poop!" Krieg declared.

"Relax big guy." Agent 71 said. He kneeled down to the bandit that tried to shoot Gaige. He opened the bandit's shirt. Underneath he saw a uniform with the Jacob's insignia.

"Who is he?" Gaige asked.

"A lackey for my employer, the bitch set me up!" Agent 71 said as he stood back up.

The four of them headed toward the second train station. As they feared the shipment crates for transport were empty. The entire power cell hunt was a ruse.

"So what now? Sanctuary needs a power cell soon or they'll be defenseless." Maya said shaking her head and placing her hand against her forehead.

"I'm going to have a little talk with my employer." Agent 71 said.

"Does that mean you've quit the job?" Gaige asked as she took the moments pause to make a few minor repairs to Deathtrap.

Agent 71 raised his right eyebrowand said. "You know me better than that little sis. I never break my word. I told them I'd bring the Jack-Slayer back alive."

Agent 71 said walking over to a nearby Fast Travel Station. He connected his ECHO. after a moment, the Moon Base destination appeared.

"They never specified how I deliver the Jack-Slayer." Agent 71 said. He placed his mask back on and looked back at the Vault Hunters.

"So, are you coming or not? I'm sure they have a few power cells lying about."

Krieg cocked his head not knowing what to think. He looked at Maya for guidance. Maya studied Agent 71 for a moment, then she looked at Krieg and Gaige. Maya smiled and nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

Four Hyperion guards were sitting on the stairs that led to the Fast Travel Station. They each held a hand of 5 cards. Guard duty at the Fast Travel Station was the dullest duty on the Hyperion Moon Base. With the exception of the Jacobs Corps CEO Kali, no one visited the station. As one of the guards drew his next card, a flash of light burst forth from the Fast Travel Station. The guards looked up simultaneously. Two women, a man in black, a huge psycho and a robot were on the platform. Krieg swung his buzz axe at the nearest seated guard. The buzz blade cut through his chest. The three remaining guards fell backwards, tumbling down the steps.

Krieg leapt in the air and buried his axe into the skull of another guard as they scrambled to their feet. Ripping the blade out with a howling laughter, Krieg twisted his waist and swung the axe into the third guard. The last last guard fell back onto his rear and raised his arm to protect himself. The axe swooped down toward his head when Agent 71's hand grabbed the handle.

Krieg looked at Agent 71. "Cry Havok! And let slip the dogs of war!"

"We need answers big guy." Agent said looking at the terrified guard. "Where's Kali?"

The guard kept his arm over his face in a defensive position and shook his head. "I'm not sure. The last I heard was she was headed to the Forward Control Room."

"Show me." Agent 71 said.

The guard quickly punched up a display on his ECHO. A mini-map of the station appeared. A dot showed their location and a triangle appeared to mark the destination."

"Now, where's the Moon Base Shield Control Room?" Maya added.

Agent 71 looked over at Maya.

"We need that power cell. Remember?" Maya said, responding to his unasked question.

Agent 71 nodded. "Right. You heard the lady. Show us!"

The guard's trembling fingers pulled up a second map route and showed it to Maya.

"Is that all you need?" Agent 71 asked Maya. She nodded. Agent 71 let go of the axe. He patted Krieg's shoulder.

"Okay big guy, _now_ you can kill him!" Agent 71 said as he headed for the door. He could hear the guard's scream silenced with a wet crunch from Krieg's buzz axe.

Agent 71 exited the transport room and turned left following the guard's directions to the Forward Control Room. Agent 71 heard footsteps behind him and the hum of a repulse generator.

"Gee. What do you think you are doing?" Agent 71 said without bothering to turn around.

"Going with you." Gaige replied as she moved along side of him.

Agent 71 turned his head to his left and looked down at Gaige. "This is between me and Kali."

"Wrong Daruis! Your employer's ambush could've totaled Deathtrap. She is so going down!"

Agent 71 let his attention slip from talking to Gaige and he failed to see the pair of guards turn toward them from an adjacent hallway.

"Intruders!" the guards yelled as they raised their rifles.

Agent 71's lapse of focus would have normally cost him his life. However, Deathtrap's reflexes prevented that. Deathtrap enveloped Gaige and Agent 71 into his shield. The boost to Agent 71's shield strength deflected the shots. Deathtrap's red eye then fired a heat beam at the guards.

The guards burst into flames. They frantically tried to beat out the flames as they screamed "Oh god! I'm on fire!"

As the charred bodies of the guards fell to the ground, Agent 71 looked at Deathtrap and then at Gaige.

"Third Place in the Science Fair? Really?"

"Yep. No thanks to that rotten Marcie!"

"If I ever get back home to Eden - 5, I have a bullet with a talent judge's name on it!" Agent 71 said before they continued down the corridor.

Agent 71, Gaige and Deathtrap soon reached the door leading to the Forward Control Room. The three of them activated the door control and stepped inside. The Hyperion crewman saw the three of them entering the room. Like roaches when the lights are turned on, the crewman scurried to find cover or an exit. Only Kali had not moved from her spot near the center of the room. Her right hand clutched the Infinity pistol.

"I've delivered the Jack-Slayer as promised." Agent 71 said, gesturing toward Gaige and Deathtrap.

"So I see." Kali said with a smile. She tapped the Infinity pistol against her thigh.

"Lady, you are in so much trouble!" Gaige said to Kali.

"Oh no my dear" Kali corrected Gaige. "I'm afraid it is the three of you who are in trouble."

Agent 71 could see glowing blue patterns emanating through Kali's left sleeve and collar.

"Phase-Split!" Kali shouted.

With a violet flash, two glowing apparitions of Kali appeared. There was a blue one to Kali's left and a green one to her right. Both apparitions held a specter version of the Infinity pistol. The three Kali's raised their guns in unison and fired. The three vault hunters scattered for cover. Agent 71 sprinted to his right and dove behind a nearby console. He waited for a pause in the firing but none came. A few inches from his face he saw the metal of the console begin to melt. A green bolt came from the hole and struck the wall behind him. The metal wall sizzled and began to corrode as the green bullet made contact.

More holes began to emerge in the console. Agent 71 pressed against the floor to keep from getting hit. Knowing it was high risk, he took a gamble. He peered into one of the corrosion holes to peer out into the room. Agent 71 could only see the pair of apparitions. Kali was gone! Then he saw the Kali dopplegangers become enveloped in another violet flash. When the the flash dissolved, the apparitions had vanished.

Agent 71 got up and headed for the only exit at the far end of the room. Since he was too near the door they came in, it was the only door Kali could have gone through! He ran through the door clutching his _Little Evie _pistol. Once out of the room, Agent 71 could see a four-way intersection in front of him. He shook his head in dismay. He knew he'd lost her.

"Darius come on! We have to leave!" Gaige said coming up behind him.

With a reluctant nod Agent 71 agreed, knowing this was not over between Kali an him. Gaige, Deathtrap and Agent 71 headed toward the Fast Travel Station Room. From another corridor, they were soon joined by Maya and Krieg. Maya was clutching a power cell under her right arm. When they reached the room Agent 71 covered the door. He fired at approaching guards as they entered the corridor.

Gaige ran up the steps to the Fast Travel Station transport controls and inputed a destination link.

"Darius, let's go!" Gaige said.

Agent 71 fired a few more shots that made the Hyperion guards duck back out of the corridor. Then he dashed from the door up to the platform to join the rest of the Vault Hunters. There was a blinding white flash. When his eyes cleared, they were once more at Lynchwood Fast Travel Station.

Maya pressed her ECHO and sent an encrypted transmission into Agent 71's ECHO communicator. "Thanks for the help. Here, take this."

"What is it?" Agent 71 asked.

"It's an transponder link to Sanctuary. I'd say you earned a place in the Crimson Raiders today." Maya said.

Agent 71 waved off the suggestion.

"Thanks but I'm not interested in joining your little rag tag group. I didn't do this for Pandora or the Crimson Raiders. I did it because nobody tries to hurt my baby sister on my watch." He said, gesturing to Gaige with his thumb.

"Darius! I'm not a baby anymore! I'm an adult!" Gaige said placing her hands on her hips.

Agent 71 walked over to Gaige and placed a hand on each of her shoulders. "You'll always be my baby sister Gee." Agent 71 said, then he turned around and activated cloaking device as he walked away.

"Oh my god! He makes me so mad sometimes!" Gaige said before letting out a sigh."Come on you guys, We've got to get that cell back to Sanctuary."

Agent 71 stood on the ledge of a cliff face looking out at the barren desert. He was stuck here in the borderlands of Pandora. His ship was gone and he burned his bridges with both the Jacobs Corporation and Hyperion. Still, there were other companies on Pandora. Maybe one of them could use a their own corporate funded 'Vault Hunter'?

There was a sound from his ECHO communicator signalling an incoming call. Agent 71 activated the ECHO. A muscular man with a red bandanna and rocker shades filled his screen. It was Mr. Torgue, founder of the Torgue Corporation.

_**Hey Badass! I caught the tumble you had with those JACOBS cronies at Lynchwood! That was freaking Awesome! Do you like EXPLOSIONS?! What about getting loot, killing and wrestling sharks in a bolo tie? Questions!**_

Agent 71 smiled under his mask. "What's the job?"


End file.
